Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg: Gauging Impact of WWE Feud for Beast Incarnate

More than victory is at stake in Brock Lesnar's feud with Goldberg; this showdown will further grow the legend of The Beast Incarnate.

WWE continues to present Lesnar as more myth than man—a destructive being like no other. Reviving his rivalry with Goldberg will continue that. 

The buzz may be crackling around Goldberg now, but this story will end up being more about Lesnar, adding a major chapter to his unique tale.

The battle between titans is a rematch 12 years in the making. Goldberg and Lesnar clashed at WrestleMania XX before both men exited WWE.

Lesnar barreled back into Vince McMahon's carnival of violence in 2012. Goldberg's return did not come until this year when, on Oct. 17, the former WCW champ appeared on Raw to accept Lesnar's challenge.

The bout is now expected to take place at the Survivor Series pay-per-view on Nov. 20.

The Beast Incarnate is set to respond to Goldberg on Monday's Raw.

He will be appearing on the last Raw before the Hell in a Cell PPV despite not being a part of that event. And even though his match won't happen for another four weeks, he is the No. 1 story ahead of the go-home show. The fact that Lesnar's answer to an answered challenge is garnering so much hype is telling. 

It's a reminder of his exalted status, something that his battle with Goldberg will only advance.

A Sparsely Populated Tier 

Lesnar vs. Goldberg is yet another massive match and headlining contest for The Beast Incarnate.

It doesn't matter that he's not a part of Raw's everyday storylines. It doesn't matter that he goes weeks—sometimes months—without appearing on TV. When he steps back onto the WWE stage, it will be as the featured attraction.

Lesnar is an apex predator on the WWE food chain, as is Goldberg.

When Goldberg charged down that entrance ramp for the first time in over a decade, he didn't interact with Seth Rollins or call out Kevin Owens. He and Lesnar exist on a plane above those men.

WWE's choice to have Goldberg's return match be against Lesnar perpetuates the idea that The Beast Incarnate is an immortal who only tangles with other immortals. 

Fans can debate whether Goldberg should be facing someone else or whether WWE should revisit this showdown, but there is no denying its big-fight nature.

As the guys at Busted Open radio pointed out, their name power resonates:

Had Rusev collided with Goldberg, that battle would have altered The Bulgarian Brute's career forever. Were AJ Styles the man to put away the wrecking ball, it would elevate his fame.

For Lesnar, it further balloons a resume already teeming with air. It is the latest time his name has gone up on the marquee for a PPV.

This is a case of the strong becoming stronger—the legend becoming more legendary.

A Monster's Resurgence

Standing toe-to-toe with Goldberg will be a reminder of just how beastly Lesnar is.

WWE may have been better served finding a fresher face for him to clash with, but felling an emerging star wouldn't alter the conversation the way tangling with Goldberg will.

Miami Herald columnist Scott Fishman joked that this bout is reminiscent of old kaiju monster movies:

After a stretch where Lesnar was the ultimate force of nature in WWE, he has shown vulnerability of late. Godzilla has begun to limp some.

The result was controversial, but he lost to Undertaker at last year's SummerSlam. The Wyatt Family ousted him from the Royal Rumble months later. And he failed to come out on top at Fastlane in February against Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose.

Suddenly, the unstoppable has been stopped a few times. Lesnar is now 6-3-1 in his last 10 matches, per CageMatch.net.

The process of positioning Lesnar as a leviathan once more has already begun.

Lesnar handled Ambrose at WrestleMania 32. He then left Randy Orton motionless and bloodied at the close of this year's SummerSlam.

And now he can add to his list of victims by making up for a past defeat.

When issuing the challenge to Goldberg, Lesnar's manager, Paul Heyman, sold the fight as something that has been eating at his client. "The one thing that unhinges my beast," he told fans, is the fact that Goldberg beat him in 2004.

The Beast Incarnate is poised to replace that result with a more favorable one, adding an image of triumph as he charges toward WrestleMania as the unquestioned king of the jungle.

A Hell of a Trophy to Hang on the Wall

When WrestleMania 33 rolls around, Lesnar will be armed with a special kind of momentum.

Should he outlast Goldberg in his final stand, WWE will sell the audience on a narrative of all-time dominance. 

The company is already reshaping history to ramp up the importance of the bout. During Goldberg's return, announcer Michael Cole introduced him as "the greatest champion in WCW history."

And many expect this to be Goldberg's last go-round. Hall of Fame announcer Jim Ross told Mike Mooneyham of the Post and Courier, "I expect a straightforward, physical match with Lesnar winning in what I expect to be the last pro wrestling match that the Oklahoma native and former WCW phenom likely will ever have."

Former WCW star Konnan had similar thoughts:

"

@shaq_daddy1155 Lesnar, unless Goldberg is staying but this will probably be one and done

— Konnan (@Konnan5150) October 20, 2016"

Feasting on Goldberg and sending the powerhouse off into the sunset will boost Lesnar in a major way.

He will have accomplished something singular, something WWE will hype long afterward. Lesnar can then be introduced as both the man who ended Undertaker's undefeated streak at WrestleMania and the man who put Goldberg to pasture.

He will ride that to WrestleMania's main event. And that bout will likely be the precursor to another world title run for him. 

Just as there was after Lesnar knocked off Undertaker at WrestleMania, there will be nowhere to go but the top. Lesnar will come after Owens with the Universal Championship in his sights. The still-fresh memories of Lesnar toppling Goldberg will make that matchup even bigger than it would be otherwise.

When the gods are done warring, they have to climb down from the heavens and face mortal men. And when that happens post-Goldberg, Owens or whoever faces Lesnar next will either be fodder or start to look like he belongs in the same realm as The Beast Incarnate.